August 10, 2015

Whole30 Sloppy Joes on Summer Squash "Buns"

I'm so excited to share my first Whole30-approved recipe. This one was for the books. What I mean is Whole30, schmole30, you're going to want to eat this, no diet needed.

It's so good.

Boyfriend approved too (although he had real buns)

I don't know why this recipe appealed to me so much. Maybe since it's been 10+ years since I've had a sloppy joe? Or maybe because I had everything in my kitchen already? Whatever was, I'm so stinking glad.

I could easily eat this right out of the pan (in fact my roommate kept sneaking bites). And it was super good over a sweet potato for breakfast the next day!

Per usual, I tweaked here and there to make it mine. I used the Whole30 ketchup recipe straight from the book, and opted to use just the ketchup instead of the extra tomato paste the recipe calls for. Plus I added spinach for even more veggies.

Ingredients:

2 TBS Coconut Oil (for cooking)

1 Large Yellow Bell Pepper, (or whatever color) Chopped

2/3 X-Large Onion, Chopped

1 lb Ground Beef

1 tsp Garlic Powder (plus extra if you like garlic!)

1 tsp Salt

3/4 - 1 cup Whole30 Ketchup

1/4 Cocount Aminos (soy sauce substitue)

1/4-1/3 cup water to thin sauce (optional)

1 Cup Spinach, loosely chopped

1 X-Large Summer Squash or Zucchini wide enough to slice into "buns"

(Optional) add a dollop of Whole30 ranch to your "buns" before you top with meat

Instructions:

Heat coconut oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chopped bell pepper and onion and cook until softened. Sprinkle in salt and garlic powder. Add ground beef. Cook, stirring until beef is browned, breaking up meat as you do so. Stir in ketchup and coconut aminos. Once well combined, let simmer, covered, stirring occasionally. While sloppy joe mix simmers, heat a small fry pan over medium heat. Add one "bun" or slice of squash at a time, "toasting" each side till softened and slightly browned (no oil needed!). Simmer your meat for at least 10 minutes. The longer, the better, as flavors will get more developed. Before serving, stir in spinach.

Top your "buns" or zucchini noodles, traditional buns, etc, with meat, and get gobbling!